Rebels ‘fire cruise missile at nuclear power station’

Houthi rebels in Yemen said they had fired a cruise missile at a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, in their first attempt to target United Arab Emirates soil since a two-year conflict began.

The UAE denied the report this morning, saying that the al-Barakah nuclear plant, which was allegedly struck, was secure against “all eventualities”. WAM, the UAE’s official news agency, quoted the country’s emergency and crisis management department as saying that the Emirates possessed a missile-defence system that could deal with any such threats.

However, the Houthis have repeatedly threatened to strike the UAE, Saudi Arabia’s lead partner in its operation to oust the Iran-backed fighters from power.